Railway-car-frame reenforcement



Oct. 1, 1929.

w. a GREGG RAILWAY CAR FRAME REENFORCENENT IDI/enfok Patented Get. 1,1929 r: 5' a: ET

WILLIAM BURR GREGG, OF HACKENSAGK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GREGGCOMPANY, LTD., OF HACKENSACK, NEVI JERSEY, A CORE'ORA'IION OF YORKRAILWAY-CAR-FRAME REENFOBGEIVEEN T Application filed. May 12,

This invention relates to the construction of railway cars and has moreparticularly to do with a means of reenforcing the car frame againstbreakage or distortion above the pedestal.

It is well known that in railway cars of the type shown, particularly insmall cars, such as a cane car or one in which the pedestals aredirectly attached to the car frame, certain unevenness in the trackswill cause extraordinary twisting in the frame structure. This is mostnoticeable when these small cars are used on light portable tracks laidthrough sugar plantations or the like, the extensive ballasting of theroad-bed not being feasible. At such times, the twisting and turning aswell as other direct stresses of loads so affect the car frame structurethat it soon becomes unstable, and unfit for further use. It oftenshortens the life of a car so much as to make reenforcing bracing of theutmost importance.

It is'an object, therefore, of this invention to provide a means forbracing the car sills at the point of greatest strain to reduce theefiect of torsion and twisting that come into play during the use of thecar and to do this reenforcing without greatly increasing the cost ofthe car.

It is a further object to provide a reenforcing means to brace the sidesills adjacent the ends thereof and over the pedestal at which point theunusual strains are most effectively counteracted.

A further object of the invention is to brace and reen'force the carsills with a substantially imperforate plate which, due to its strengthwill adequately brace the car from uneven operating strains and, becauseof its size and location, will better protect the pedestal and journalbox from dbris falling thru spaces in the floor, such as slat floors.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of the drawings which illustrate one form ofembodiment of the invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a car floor,

1927. Serial no. 190,730.

partially broken away to show thelocation of the parts comprising thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the car shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end detail of the portion of the car frame showing theadaptation of my invention and i Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thebracing plate. I

The railway car chosen to best illustrate this invention is a cane car 1of the type to be used on branchor plantation tracks such as, forexample, a light portable track through uneven country in whichextensive ballasting is impractical. In this car, the wheels 2 are rigidwith the axles 3, rotating in the journal boxes 4 which are resiliently,and slidably retained in the pedestals 5. The pedestals 5 are directlyunder and support the reenforcingplatcs 10 which are attached to thetransverse or lateral frame members 7 extending across the car frameanol'also attached to the pedestal sills 11 and side sills 12 at eachside of the car frame.

The reenforcing plates 10, which may be of rectangular shape, areattached at the ends of the lateral frame members 7 and between the sideand pedestal sills 11 and12 by means of rivets, bolts or the like, oneover each pedestal. The upstanding lateral pedestal braces 13, extendingoutwardly and upwardly from beneath the pedestal 5, are fastened to theedge and under the side sill 12 also by rivets or bolts, to reduceunusual side and weight stresses. .A single longitudinal brace 14extends beneath the pedestals on each side of the frame'and is bentupwardly and attached to the pedestal sill 11 to brace the ournal boxpedestals against longitudinal strains and tie the legs of the pedestalstogether.

The operation of the plates 10 is thus seen to reenforce both thelongitudinal side sills 12 and pedestal sills 11 as well as thetransverse or lateral frame members 7 and, together with the customarylongitudinal and lateral pedestal braces, solidly secures all of thevarious members near each corner of the car together, effectivelyreenforcing and bracing the car against weaving and warping at thlspolnt and damplng any tendency toward distortion at the point wheredistorting strains from the car wheels are transmitted to the frame.

Beside reenforcing the frame members, by placing the plate 10 over thepedestal, the size of the plate is such that it effectively prevents anydbris from dropping through the floor which is frequently of wood orspaced slates onto the journal box immediatelv beneath. It is thus adesirable protection of the Working parts which not only include thejournals but the slides in which the journal bOX moves in the pedestal.

The advantages of this invention areapparent and such strains asoverloading, uneven tracks or derailment, which normally destroy therigid construction of the car frame, are taken care of at the point ofgreatest effect, where the pedestal is attached to the frame.

\Vhile I have shown one form of embodiment of the invention, I am awarethat various modifications might be devised that are within the scope ofthe invention and I thus desire protection on the spirit of theinvention within the scope of the appended claims. The description ofthe invention applied to light cars for cane or the like is to be takenas illustrative and not as limiting the invention to this class of carsas the invention is also applicable to heavier and larger cars.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a structure of the classdescribed, in combination with a car under-frame having end, pedestaland side sills, a separate plate of suitable material permanentlysecured to, and forming a part of the under-frame, and located in aposition between the top surface of a pedestal and the sills of the saidunder-frame, and secured at its edges to said pedestal and side sills. I

2. In a structure of the class described, in

combination with a car under-frame having end, transverse, pedestal andside sills, a plate of suitable material secured to, and forming a partof the under-frame, and located in a position between the top surface ofa pedestal and the sills of the said under-frame, and secured at itsedges to said transverse, pedestal and side sills.

3. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, a reenforcing plate,separate from the pedestal member, permanently secured to the side silland extending therefrom to the adjacent pedestal sill, to which it isattached in position between the base of the said sill and a pedestalmember.

4. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, a plate of suitablematerial, separate from the pedestal member, permanently secured to theunderframe of a railway car in position to bear upon and afford lateralbracing for a pedestal member.

5. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, and lateral framemembers, plates of suitable form secured to the lower portions of thesaid pedestal and side sills at points above the pedestal member andhaving inner edge portions secured be tween the pedestal tops and thesaid pedestal sills, and forward and rear edge portions secured tolateral frame members. i

6. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, plates of suitableform, separate from the pedestal member, secured between the saidunder-frame and .the top of the pedestal members and extending outwardtherefrom to other points of attachment on the said frame, and bracemembers extending from the outward extremities of the said plates to thebottoms of the said pedestals.

7. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, a quadrilateral plateof suitable material secured at its outer edge to a side sill, and atits inner edgeto a pedestal sill, and with its end portions secured totransverse members of the said under-frame, the said plate located at apoint directly above a pedestal member and bracing members between thebottom of the pedestal member and the outer edge of the said plate. I

8. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, at least twoquadrilateral plates per under-frame secured at the side edges to thesill members of a car under-frame, and at the ends to cross membersthereof, and resting on the inner portions between the top surfaces ofthe car pedestals and the pedestal sills, and bracing members from theouter extremities to the bottom of the saidpedestals.

9. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a carunder-frame having end, pedestal and side sills, plates of steel 1 orthe like permanently secured at the side edges to the pedestal and sidesills of the said under-frame, and co-acting with angular side braces toreenforce the said structure at points above the pedestal and bearingmembers. i

10. In a car under-frame, the combination of longitudinal pedestal andside sills and transverse sills forming a rectangle over each pedestal,of a rectangular metal plate fitting in said rectangle secured at itsedges to said longitudinal and transverse sills.

11. A railway car under-frame having a longitudinal side and pedestalsill at each side and a pair of spaced cross members over the Wheels ateach end forming a rectangular enclosure over each journal, arectangular fiat plate in each of said rectangular spaces secured ateach edge to said longitudinal sills and cross members for reenforcementof the frame.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

WILLIAM BURR GREGG.

